Respect for Women

The woman who was gang-raped and viciously beaten on a public bus in New Delhi recently has died. She had been in hospital in New Delhi and was then transferred to Singapore for additional treatment. The announcement of her death said she died of severe internal organ injuries and damage to her head from being physically attacked.~~~~~~~ I suppose it would be useless to say to men who do such things that she could have been their mother, sister, daughter, wife. It would be useless to say to such men that women are human beings. Useless because such men would probably be in agreement with burning wives they find objectionable because the wife's family refuses to pay additional dowry (although dowry is illegal, it is almost universal in India). Useless because such men would agree with those who throw acid on the faces of women who refuse their advances. Useless because such men agree with beating their wives whom they consider their property. Women die every day from such horrendous abuses. What can be done? The Old Testament 'eye for an eye' justice system was overturned by Jesus, Who said, "turn the other cheek." But we can demand that governments educate boys to recognize women as human beings. We can demand that governments eliminate all laws that treat women unequally in terms of property and personal rights. We can demand that governments pursue the perpetrators of any rape or physical abuse of women with real force, putting them in prison for long terms. And we can encourage all people everywhere to speak up for women, to help women whom they witness being treated abusively, to teach their own sons to respect women and treat them honorably. At the end of the day, when male children see their fathers treat the women in their family with respect, the battle for the safety of women will be won.